Une fleur d'oranger
by Belrayeda
Summary: Based off the movie 'Moulin Rouge' except it all happens after Satine dies. A year after her death Grimmjow still mourns her...Halibel. The Moulin Rogue is gone, the revolution is dead and can-can dancers are scraping by the bare minimum. Yet out of all this there is still hope. Ichigo comes into town hoping to change all this for himself and for the Children of the Revolution.Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers! This is my second fan-fiction, and i know...i know. The one i started isn't even finished but I have this ridiculous obsession with the movie Moulin Rougee and thought that a GrimmIchi fan-ficton to it would work. Then again it's me, my fantasy. I will not however be using the movie names, the characters will be replaced with Bleach characters that i see fitting to the in-movie characters. So here's the list.

Christian the penniless writer = Grimmjow (in this case, song writer)

Satine the Sparkling Diamond = Halibel/Ichigo (i'll explain in a few)

Toulouse the dwarf = Nel

Harold Zidler = Gin

Marie = Matsumoto

Nini = Luppi

Narcoleptic Argentinian Bohemian = Starkk (i mean...really the role was just begging for him)

The Duke = Aizen (he still keeps the title but there will be cases where they call him by his real name)

_Ichigo is just himself who in a way is Satine in the fact that he becomes the main 'star'. I dont want to spoil too many things but yes. Ichigo is a star. *w*_

A more elaborate Summary:

**Based off the movie 'Moulin Rouge' except it happens after 'Satine' dies. Grimmjow is still grieving over Halibels' death, unable to write another song without her.  
****Gins' Moulin Rouge is gone, the Revolution is non-existent, Can-Can dancers barely scraping by, and yet there's a glimmer of hope.  
A hope that can bring everything back and make the Children of the Revolution rise again. That glimmer of hope is Ichigo.  
Slight Gin/Ichi but will obviously end with Grimm/Ichi.  
Possible Aizen/Ichi but I don't know yet. Review and tell me if it's a good idea or too cliche. :D**

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Grimmjow could remember her smell, her smile, the way she could simply bring a man down to his knees with just one lust-ridden look. He could remember all these things vividly and perfectly...but only when he could dream. He opened his eyes and they met the bland wall with dark stains scattering across them, trying desperately to remember the dream he had of her...of his Halibel. Closing his eyes and fighting back the tears he turned over to the other side only meeting an empty space. Frustrated, Grimmjow sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his hands sliding down his face to scratch the stubble he hadn't bothered to shave in days. At the other side of the room he saw his desk with paper and pens scattered on the surface, a small whisper encouraging him to write. A sweet-haunting voice reminding him of his promise:

"Make the world know of our story Grimm...let them hear our story." she whispered. The memory was suddenly vivid.

Her clinging to his jacket with whatever strenght she had left. Her eyes seeming to peer into his soul.

These were the last words she spoke to him before she died...right in his arms.

He felt the overwhelming need to cry and bit his knuckles, shutting his eyes, forcing the physical pain to distract him from the emotional pain he was feeling. It had been a year since she had died but it still felt as fresh and as painful like it were yesterday. He tried to remember what she smelled like, what she felt like against his skin, running his hands through her hair, the warmth of her breath on his skin, even her voice. He couldn't. He couldn't remember...only when he dreamt of her. A knock on the door broke him from his thoughts and he looked to the door.

"Come in." he said, pain evident in his voice.

Nel peaked her head in and looked to him, a look of pity crossed her feaures.

"Gin is on his way back and he wants to talk to you. Oh! And we have a visitor so...try to-" she didn't want to offend him.

Grimmjow cut her off.

"Yeah...I get it. Act normal. I'll be out in a few." he replied stiffly.

Nel looked at him with a look of helplessness towards the blue haired man and closed the door. Grimmjow got up and put on a pair of pants that looked clean and a shirt that looked decent enough. He ran a hand through his hair and looked out the window onto the streets below. This was new...Gin had a visitor. They rarely had any visitors. Well besides the whores and the hotel manager asking for money...or sex. He caught a flash of orange at the edge of his peripheral vision and turned to see that it was a boy...a boy with bright orange hair. He was walking with Gin and seemed a bit nervous being in the neighborhood, and he had every right to do so. It was a dangerous neighborhood and with the kid looking the way he was, he probably wouldn't have survived the 3 blocks to get here. Then the kid was looking up and held eye contact with Grimm. They stared at each other for a while until Gin noticed the kid wasn't walking with him anymore.

"Maa...Ichi. Wha's wrong?"

Ichigo tore his eyes away from the blue eyed stranger and looked to Gin.

"I...I just saw someone. That's all."

"Musta been somethin' ta have caught yer eye ne?" he teased.

Ichigo looked back up, oblivious to Gins' jest, only to see the blue eyed man had gone.

"Yeah...he was somethin'." muttered Ichigo. Those blue eyes...they looked so sad. So...empty.

Gin tugged Ichigo by the sleeve.

"Maa, Maa. We're gonna be late. I wanna introduce ya ta ma roommates...and potential co-workers."

Gin led Ichigo up to his apartment and as they walked down the hallway Ichigo noted how run down the place was, the smell was something that of sickly sweet, neither pleasant nor horrible. He wrinkled his nose at the smell anyways.

"It only smells like this in tha hallways. Inside tha room it's much more cleaner...eh as clean as a room like it can be." Gin said as if he had read Ichigos' mind. Gin rounded a corner and came to a door which he unlocked and ceremoniously opened it.

"I 'ave arrived mah sweets!" he belted out.

However, Matsumoto just looked up from the stove and frowned, Nel playing with a broken guitar and Starkk sleeping in a hammock.

Gin slumped and pouted. "No one even says hello ta me anymore..." he whined.

"Because you do that every day when you come back from wherever you've been. It gets annoying and we want it to stop." Matsumoto said, flipping the food in her pan expertly.

Ichigo didn't know wether to enter or stay out in the hallway until Nel noticed him missing.

"Hey, where's the boy you were going to bring by?"

Gin turned to look at the doorway and frowned. "Ichi...it's okay ta come in. Mi casa es su casa."

"That's spanish Gin." Matusmoto said.

"Hey, I've had enough spanish-speaking men and women to be considered apart of their culture." he said, wiggling his eyesbrows suggestively.

Ichigo timidly walked across the threshold and bowed slightly.

"H-hello. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

Nel rolled her eyes at Gin but smiled when she looked to Ichigo and got up going over to shake his hand. She was beautiful, her flowing sea-green hair, her big green eyes, a faded beauty mark going across her cheeks and ridge of her nose. Not to mention her chest seeming to want to burst out of her shirt.

"My name is Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. But you can just call me Nel, I don't mind!" she exclaimed bubbly, her voice sweet and childish.

Ichigo nodded his head in thanks and turned to Matsumoto. She smiled over her shoulder, a smile that would have brought down any man to his knee and ask her hand for marriage. But, Ichigo wasn't fazed, just that he thought she was pretty for an older lady. She was shapely and had long layered blonde hair, her chest rivaled Nels' and Ichigo wondered where Gin had managed to find these gorgeous women and why they weren't famous French models.

"Hello Ichigo, I'm Rangiku Matsumoto. Some people call me by my first or last name, I respond to both. Welcome to our home."

"Thank you for letting me stay." Ichigo said, bowing slightly.

She gestured over to Starkks' direction.

"That sleeping pile of mess is Coyote Starkk. We just call him Starkk, he's a narcoleptic...so he claims. To be honest, I just think he's really lazy."

In response to that, Starkk just raised his hand and waved a bit in greeting. Ichigo couldn't see much but saw that he was lean and have dark curly brown hair, slight stubble on his chin and a bone necklace resting on his chest.

"Welcome." he said tiredly which caused him to yawn, as it that action in it of itself was tiring.

Gin looked around and to Nel.

"Where's Grimmy?"

"I told him you were on his way here...I think he's still in his room. Want me to go get him?"

Gin nodded and Nel got up gracefully, disappearing around a corner.

"'Grimmy'?" Ichigo asked, curious about the 4th missing roommate.

"He's another roomate of ours. He's...hmm. He doesn't talk much and if he comes off rude don't hold it against him. About a year ago he lost the love of his life Halibel. She was the star of Gins' Moulin Rouge, but she got really sick and died from it. Grimm was terribly grief stricken and still hasn't gotten over her death. He even stopped writing songs..." she said sadly, as if that was the worst of it.

"What does that mean? That he stopped writing songs?" Ichigo asked, curious. Gin sat down and sighed then looked up at Ichigo.

"He was probably tha best song writer there was out here. We found 'im by accident and it was tha best thing ta happen to may Moulin Rouge. The combination of his music and Halibels' charm was wha' sold mah acts. They were unstahpable." he said, the obvious reminiscing flashing through his mind.

"And thas where ya come in Ichi...I wan' ta start may Moulin Rouge up again an' yer jus as talented as Halibel. Ya can save us...bring back tha revolution ta life."

Ichigo nodded, he knew why Gin took interest in him. Gin had seen him at a local Can-Can dance club and offered him the chance to be a star. Ichigo found a way out of the seedy club and left with Gin, in hopes of becoming more than just a cheap show for greedy cheap men. He knew he had talent and it was going to waste back at the old club.

"But how are we going to get Grimmy to write his music again? It wont really work unless Grimmy can write again, we sold well because of his music." Matsumoto retorted.

"We 'ave ta help 'im. He's had a year...it's time ta bring 'im outta his slump." Gin said sternly, like a mother would when her child didn't want to go to school.

Soon after Nel came back with Grimmjow in tow. Ichigo froze at seeing him, it was the blue-haired man that he had seen at the window when he was out on the street. A flash of recognition showed in Grimmjow's eyes but other than that he showed no emotion except a permanent frown of grumpiness.

"Grimmy...this is Ichigo. He's going to help Gin get the Moulin Rouge up and running again." Nel said carefully.

Grimmjow looked sharply at Gin, crossing his arms he posed a somewhat threatening position but if Gin was threatened he didn't show it. He looked the opposite, cheerful.

"Oh really?" he rumbled.

When Grimm spoke it sent a weird shiver down Ichigos' spine and he rolled his shoulders to mask it. The voice was deep and cool, like water running over the stones of a river. A growl in those depths like that of a panther waiting to pounce and roar at its' prey.

Gin nodded. "We can't keep livin' like this...I know I can get tha place runnin' again and Ichi has incredible talent. We can live like we used ta live...not like some sewer rats scrapin' by tha bare minimum. We can't jus' rely on Nel, Starkk and Matsumoto forever..."

Ichigo then realized that everyone except Grimm and Gin we're prostitutes...creatures of the night. They were just like him...selling their bodies to get through life...except Ichigo was still a virgin. All he did was dance and strip for men...as for him keeping his virginity he had to give it to Gin. It was part of their arrangement and Ichigo conisdered it a small price to pay for what Gin had to offer. And he was going to lose it anyways when they got the Moulin Rouge up and running again so why covet it, Ichigo didn't see a reason for it.

"I don't like where this is going Gin...what if the Duke finds out about this? How do you think he found out about you in the first place? Your Moulin Rouge was so famous here in Paris...and if it has an even greater reputation he's going to find out and he will hunt us down." Grimmjow growled. He wanted to avoid detection of the Duke, he was nothing but bad news and if he could avoid seeing him then he would do whatever he could to do so.

Everyone went silent...they knew what the Duke was capable of...they had seen it a year prior. It was because of him that the Moulin Rouge closed, not because business went bad. If anything, any other Moulin Rogues out there we're nothing compared to what Gin had created.

"He wont find out..." Gin said after a while. "It's been a year...tough on all of us Grimmy." an implied undertone that Grimmjow did not miss.

Grimm flinched at his words and growled a bit before looking away.

"Tch...whatever. Why did you want me to come out anyways?"

Gin hesitated and opened his eyes slightly.

"We need ya ta write music again...this wont work without ya."

Grimm stiffened and growled before flipping the chair in front of him to get right in Gins' face.

"You aren't seriously asking me that!? After what happened to her!? To Halibel!?" he roared angrily.

Nel looked afraid and hid behind the pillar, Starkk was up and alert, his hand reaching into his coat, Matsumoto looking at Gin and Grimm a frown marring her face. And Ichigo...he had pressed himself up against the counter, afraid. There it was...that animalistic side of him that came out, rearing its head out to snap at anything that bothered it.

"It's been a year Grimm...do ya think she woulda wanted ya ta be like this? Sufferin'? She woulda wanted ya ta be happy...ta enjoy life. Ta enjoy your life." Gin said calmly.

Grimm faltered a bit and merely snarled before walking away back to his room.

After a while a small sniffle could be heard and Ichigo looked to Nel, tears were falling down her cheeks.

"Oh Nel..." Matsumoto whispered and went to her, wrapping her arms around her.

"I don't like it when Grimmy-chan gets mad..." she wailed.

Starkk yawned and got up to go to the fridge. "There's no talking to him...I don't know why you even asked in the first place if you knew he was going to get so upset."

"We need ta get him outta his rut...it isn't healthy fer 'im." Gin frowned and crossed his arms. Suddenly a slammed door alarmed them all and Grimmjow was back in the room. His bright blue eyes searched the room for a second until he saw Ichigo, he stormed right up to him stabbing his finger accusingly at Ichigos' chest.

"And don't think for a second that you can replace her!"

"Grimm!" Matsumoto yelled harshly. Grimmjow looked at her then back at Ichigo, anger evident on his face, his blue eyes seemed to be on fire.

"He isn't her replacement!"

Ichigo was shocked at his outburst but finally had had enough of his rage. He smacked Grimmjows' hand away and pushed him back a few steps. Shock crossed Grimmjows face but then anger and rage quickly replaced it. He was about to tell the orange haired kid off when he was interrupted.

"Hey! We only just met and yet you dare talk to me like that!? I'm not here to replace anyone but I am definitely not going to take this verbal abuse from you!" He yelled out.  
Panting he took a deep breath and his voice softened a bit.  
"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to your lover. It sucks I know, but just because you have all this sadness and all this pent up anger doesn't give you the right to take it out on these people. They care about you and how do you repay them? With your horrible attitude. Be thankful that you are alive and can keep her memory alive through you. If I was her I'd be disappointed that my lover was acting like such an asshole."

Grimmjow looked at him stunned and soon anger crossed his features but then his face went slack. His composure relaxed and he took a step back. Ichigo looked at him confused but then was shocked by what he heard next.

"...I'm sorry." he muttered. With that he briskly walked away back to his room.

All eyes were on Ichigo and they let out a breath they had all been holding.

"Wow...Ichigo...you managed to make Grimmy apologize." Nel said quietly.

Then Ichigo felt a little guilty talking about Grimmjows' dead lover, he looked guiltily to Gin.

"I...I wasnt too harsh was I?"

He shook his head and went over to him, rubbing his head.

"Naw...it's exactly what he needed; a wake up call. He can't keep putting himself through all this pain and suffering." Gin was so serious he didn't even use his usual drawl when he talked.

"Maa maa, let's get ta celebratin' Ichi comin' into tha group and tha possiblilty of opening our beloved Moulin Rouge!" Gin exclaimed, pulling Ichigo close to him and smiling.

Matsumoto perked up at that. "If we're drinking then you know I'm all for it." she said, tossing her hair back and smiling brilliantly.

Nel smliled and clapped her hands jumping up and down. Ichigo was surprised her chest didn't render her unconscious with all that bouncing. "Wonderful! I'll go out and buy something for us to drink!"

Starkk opened one eye and a small smirk fell onto his lips.

"Count me in...I could use a drink after all this." he yawned , stretching lazily.

Nel scoffed. "You barely moved all day and you're exhausted? Jeez Starkk...if you weren't such a manwhore and self-proclaimed narcoleptic I would have thought you were a freeloader."

Starkk laughed and took a step towards her patting her head. "Hey...don't make me look bad in front of the new kid."

Nel rolled her eyes and grabbed her coat, heading towards the door. "I'll be back."

And when she came back they did indeed have a time they thought was long gone. Absinthe was passed around, a luxury they had forgotten, and everyone was laughing and having a good time. Even Ichigo joined in on the fun and suddenly while looking at Gin and Gin looking at Ichi, primal urges were rearing their head making it hard to resist with each swig of the Absinthe. As the night went on Ichigo decided to move in on Gin.

"Why did you choose me? Besides the obvious." he teased, his body pressed up against Gin, a leg over Gins' lap. Gin looked at those long, lean tanned legs and smirked.

"Who wouldn't 'ave? Yer damn sexy." he said huskily, sliding his hand up those mile long legs. "I was surprised ya hadn't been snatched up earlier."

Ichigo laughed a sexy sultry laugh that went straight to Gins' groin.

"Guess I was just waiting for my knight in shining armor. "

Gin gently took Ichigos chin between his long fingers and kissed him deeply, Ichigo moaned softly and wrapped his arms around Gins' neck kissing back for all that he was worth. Cat calls could be heard from across the room and Ichigo laughed into the kiss looking to Matsumoto and Nel.

"Hey get a room if you're going to start all that!" Matsumoto exclaimed, and a bit too loudly since she was trashed.

Gin stuck out his tounge, which was quickly captured by Ichigo as he kissed him deeply, gently grinding against Gin.

"Mmm...doesn't sound like such a bad idea Gin." whispered Ichigo.

Gin chuckled and smacked Ichigos' rear, squeezing a bit. "Then lets go, ne?"

They both got up and the two women started wolf whistling making both men laugh as they dissapeared down the halway and into Gins room.

Grimm sat in his room and could hear the group in the living room having a fun time. He felt a bit bad about what happened with the orange haired kid. Okay, so maybe he was kinda acting like an asshole but it was just who he was. When something ticked him off he got angry... Grimmjow sighed and ran his hand through his hair, maybe he should go apologize. Not in front of the group...just to the kid. He stood up and left his room to go to the living room, however Ichigo wasn't there.

Frowning Grimm called out to the group "Hey, where's the kid?"

Starkk looked to him drunkedly, one eye trying to stay open.

"The berry-head? He went to Gins' room. Why?"

"Don't worry about it." he said gruffly.

He frowned. "If you're going to yell at him again-"

Grimmjow cut him off with his hand. "I wont. I just wanna talk to him that's all."

Starkk scoffed and took another sip of Absinthe. "You never want to 'just talk'."

"Well apparently this is the day when pigs fly." he said before leaving to go to Gins' room.

He walked down the hallway to knock on the door when he heard moans coming from inside. He stilled and leaned forward a bit to get a better hearing. Another loud moan could be heard and even though Grimmjow hadn't known Ichigo for that long he could recognize that it was his voice. Maybe the kid was really drunk and didn't feel good? He opened the door a bit to peek inside and stopped when he saw that it wasn't what he thought at all.

Ichigo was naked on top of Gin riding him, hard. His tan skin was flushed and a thin sheen of sweat covered his body that glistnened from the moonlight coming through the window above. His head was tossed back and the look of pure bliss and pleasure on his face...Grimmjow suddenly felt it affecting him. Every moan the berry-head would illicit went straight to Grimms' groin, the position he was in was so erotic and sensual that Grimmjow wished he was the one that Ichigo was riding. Wait...what?! Grimmjow took a step back and covered his mouth in shock. He wasn't gay...he loved Halibel. A woman, yes she was a courtesan but he never thought of her as that, just the woman he loved. He hesitantly looked back into the room and saw Ichigo had been switched onto his hands and knees.

"Spread 'em" Gin said huskily. Ichigo bit his lip and pressed his chest into the matress as his hands went to his cheeks giving Gin and Grimmjow a nice view of his abused hole. It was such a pretty pink color and Grimmjow couldn't help but want to ram into it unmercifully making the berry-head forget his name. What the hell was going on with him!?

Gin smirked and slid into Ichigo with some effort, another look of pleasure showing on Ichigos' face and his body shaking from the sexual strain of it all.

"Damn...yer so fuckin' tight!" Gin groaned, still trying to fit his entire length into the smaller man below him. Ichigo bit his lip and managed to open his eyes, panting and his eyes locked with Grimms'. Shock crossed both of their faces. Grimmjow knew he was done for and yet...he couldn't look away...apparently neither could Ichigo. After a while Grimmjow figured out that Ichigo wasn't going to tell Gin and just retained eye contact with Grimm as Gin continued to pound Ichigo deeper into the matress.

"Y-yes...Gin! More...give me more!" Ichigo moaned out, grinding back into Gins' thrusts.

"Such a needy body...i'll try mah best ta satisfy ya Ichi." he said before smacking Ichigos' plush ass.

"Ahh! Mmm...yes please..." he begged, wiggling his hips in response.

Grimmjow managed to pull himself away and closed the door silently before hurriedly going back to his room, leaning against the door frame. He then realized he himself was panting and felt an ache in his pants, he looked down and saw he was hard. Cursing, Grimm shut his eyes and tried to will it away. Seeing as how that wasn't working he growled and sat down on his bed pulling out his hardned arousal. Gripping it he stroked himself slowly, moaning at the pleasure he felt, it was like electricity was coursing through his body with each pump. Panting and sweating, he gripped himself tighter and pumped his member until he soon felt himself about to give. He was so close...so close but it didn't come. Frustrated Grimm tried harder but his release evaded him...he panted and hesitantly he brought up the image of Ichi: bent over like he was, spreading himself so submissively and...and that was it. Grimmjow moaned loudly, giving onto his hand and some managed to land on the floor. He gasped for air and looked up at the ceiling, his breathing labored and his body slowly relaxing from cumming. He closed his eyes, enjoying the high of getting off while he could. He hadn't ever done that after Halibel had died...and for a moment Grimmjow felt incredibly guilty for having been able to come from a kid he just met than the woman he grieved over for for a year. Shaking his head from the thought he grabbed one of his towels and cleaned himself up and wiped the floor, when he was done he tossed it into the laundry basket and laid down on his bed. He felt so relaxed and sleepy despite the electricity he had experienced when he was pleasuring himself. Little did Grimmjow know, this would only be the beginning of something bigger to come.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everybody! I know i suck at uploading chapters but I just get so distracted and lately...well things haven't been going to well. *throws pity party* Anyways, here is the second chapter and I hope you all enjoy it. :] It was a bit difficult on where I was going to take this but I finally managed it. And I just realized I've forgotten to put disclaimers in my chapters. Oopsies. Can you tell I'm new at this?

I do not own bleach nor Moulin Rogue personas. I just don't own anything...don't sue me. TT_TT

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Ichigo stirred and groaned at the massive headache that came as if hell was bent on torturing him, his head pounded and he covered his face with the blanket trying to will it away. He carefully looked over to his side and saw Gin sleeping peacefully with his tongue out drooling on the pillow.

"Tch...lucky." Ichi muttered and with all his might he sat up and grudgingly got out of bed, wrapping the sheet around his waist. As he took a step a shooting pain went right up his back causing him to almost fall. He quickly caught the edge of the bed and steadied himself, breathing heavily.

"Dammit...what...what was that!?" Ichigo whispered harshly so as not to wake Gin, not that he would have a problem waking up seeing as how dead to the world Gin was. Carefully he righted himself and took small steps around the room as he picked up his clothes off from the floor. Going behind the oriental room divider, Ichigo got dressed, carefully leaning against the wall as he tried to put on his pants so as not to fall again. While he got dressed his eyes roamed over the divider and admired the painting on the wooden panels running his fingers across them. The image that was carved onto it was that of a panther climbing down the boulders of a mountain-side stealthily, its' eyes piercing and captivating.

'_How strange...' _Ichigo thought to himself as he pulled his pants up, fastening them before stepping out from the divider.

"Maa maa...I thought fer shure ya wouldn't 'ave been able ta walk. Ah well..."

Ichigo frowned and rubbed his lower back.

"Well I wouldn't say that...I almost fell while trying to get out of bed. Did you have to be so rough last night?"

Gin smirked and sat up in bed putting his arms behind his head, eyes opening slightly.

"Ya were tha one that kept beggin' me ta go harder an' faster. How can I deny someon tha'?"

Ichigo blushed slightly and looked away crossing his arms.

"Still..."

Gin sat up and ran a hand through his hair, laying his head on his knees looking to Ichigo. A serious expression quickly replacing his earlier humor.

"Today is when we have to go to the bank..."

Ichigo nodded and looked to Gin, a worried expression crossing his face.

"Think they'll really give us a loan that big? It's going to cost a fantastic sum of money to restore the Moulin Rouge."

"My brilliant charm has averted disaster before...and it was against someone much more terrifying than a bank." Gin said grimly, a dark history evident behind his words. A history that Ichigo was more than curious for.

"Charm...that's all we have as for collateral?"

Gin was silent for a while before he got up and went into his closet. After a while of rustling and quiet curses Gin came out with an ornate box, a delicate pattern of gold decorating the sides of the box, gems encrusting the top that shone and glimmered beautifully. Gin held the box carefully, an air of sadness about him and the slight trembling his hands gave away as he held it.

"I bought this...a long time ago when the highest bidder, before the Duke of course, paid for a night with 'Bel. She didn't tell me what the man had asked of her, or what they did, but I know it wasn't anything intimate...she didn't look like anything that would have happened sexually." Ichigo looked at him skeptically and Gin smiled a bit. "The dress was still perfectly intact. But, every time I would ask what really happened she would just smile and say 'Ah, ah, ah. I know what you're trying to do and it won't work Gin. It was what he asked for and I gave it to him as best as I could with my abilities.' Abilities indeed..." he chuckled sadly and looked to Ichigo. He carefully opened the box and in the box was a ornate hair pin with a sparrow that was decorated with rubies and gold. It looked so delicate Ichigo feared he would break it if he breathed on it too hard.

"It...it's beautiful." he whispered, the ruby a deep red and the gold glinting blindingly. "You managed to get this with what he paid?" Ichigo asked, amazed by the hair piece.

"He paid a lot for whatever he asked..but he never came back after that one night. I never knew wether to be upset or glad."

"Why did you buy it? Were you going to give it to her?"

Gin nodded and gently stroked the side of the box.

"I was going to give it to her the night she performed for the Duke...it was meant for her as a gift."

"A gift for what?"

"A gift for her lifelong dream. A dream to be a real actress...the Duke was going to help her accomplish that goal but...well then things got complicated." He smiled at the last bit and shook his head.

"Oh that Grimmjow..." he said in a voice mixed with humor and slight anger. "The night she was meant to meet the Duke for the first time, Grimmjow took his place. So she performed for him by mistake thinking it was really the Duke. And that night was when they fell in love with one another. I held off on giving it to her until she really did leave with the Duke like she was supposed to, but when we found out that she was sick..." his voice trailed off and Ichigo thought that Gin was going to cry but he continued talking, his voice strained. "I knew it wouldn't have been a good idea to give it to her." Gin gripped the side of the box so hard his knuckles turned white. "It would have been...impolite to give her this that was symbolically meant for something she couldn't have anymore. So here it stayed in my closet...gathering dust for someone who's been dead for a year. If it has any chance of helping me bring back the Moulin Rouge I think she would rather have wanted that."

Ichigo couldn't remember when Gin talked so clearly and knew that this was a moment that Gin didn't show to everyone.

"Why...why are you telling me all of this?"

Gin looked to him and smiled, closing the box.

"You remind me of her in a way. It...for some reason it just wouldn't have felt right if I didn't tell you. Like i'd be keeping a part of you hidden."

Ichigo thought about that for a while when Gin placed the box in a satin pouch.

"Let's get ready ta go to tha bank, yea?"

Ichigo smiled and nodded, excitement quickly replacing the serious atmosphere in the room. Ichigo left the room to wait for Gin in the living room when he was greeted by the sight of Matsumoto passed out on the couch, Starkk tangled in his hammock and Nel somehow ended up fitting on top of the bookshelf.

"Oh my...and I thought my night with Gin was rough." he joked to himself. Then he suddenly remembered Grimmjow. Grimmjow had seen him last night...even made eye contact with him while...while...

Ichigo blushed furiously and put his hands up to his face, feeling his burning cheeks warm on his palms. Grimmjow saw everything! How could he face the man now? He looked down the hallway and saw Grimmjows' door was closed. Should he talk to him about it? Apologize? He was having an inner dilemma and he knew he was overreacting. He paused and nibbled on his bottom lip, why is he freaking out? It wouldn't be the first time a man had seen him in a promiscuous situation. He entertained men for a living...why was this any different? He knew that what happened between him and Gin was merely a negotiation, maybe some kind of affection but not love. It was more of a contract. A contract for his freedom: he would let Gin have him and Ichigo would become the main show for his newly refurbished Moulin Rouge. A secure life...a somewhat dignified life compared to a seedy gentlemens club. A far as dignified went for people like him. He had heard of Gin when he was famous, famous for his shows and his witty charm, his sensual Diamond Dogs and...of Halibel.  
Ichigo had been so immersed in his thoughts that when Gin tapped his shoulder it made Ichigo jump.

Gin put his hands in the air taking a step back "Whoa, ya okay Ichi?"

Ichigo nodded and quickly went to the door. "Come on we have a bank to go to!" he said a little to enthusiastically, opening it and headed down the hall. Gin scratched his head and followed him, satin pouch tied around his wrist.

Gin and Ichigo arrived at the bank and relaxed when they walked into the cool air. Luckily the bank provided cool air during the summer and kept warm in the winter. With the buildings looming over they provided shade and kept out harsh cold winter winds. Immediately Ichigo felt uncomfortable standing in the waiting area of the bank, everything looked extravagant and made him feel inadequate. He's seen people with money and how they think they can buy anything they want with it and looked down on people who weren't like them. Even though people desired him he knew that at the end of the day they looked down on him and if they met on the street they wouldn't give him a second glance. This place reminded him of that. And he didn't like it.  
Both Gin and Ichigo were approached by a bank employee who seemed to sneer at their presence but had no choice but to talk to them.

"May I help you with something?"

Gin crossed his arms putting his hands inside his sleeves.

"Yes. We wan' ta apply fer a loan."

The employee didn't even bat an eyelash and looked at them scrutinizing their appearance. Gin was wearing a sort of exotic outfit: a colorful robe exposing his chest and loose faded white harem pants. Ichigo was drab next to him wearing a loose cotton shirt with off white sewn on patches, a brown vest and tight trousers with suspenders hanging off to the side. Least to say, they didn't look like they were going to the bank like all the other crisp looking people with suits and briefcases. If Ichigo knew he was going to be so uncomfortable and self conscious he might as well have walked in here with a promiscuous outfit. At least people would look at him with a different expression rather than what this mousy faced man was giving him. He felt like he was lower than him.

"I see. Follow me." he said curtly, quickly turning on his heels walking off towards an office not bothering to look back to make sure they were following. Gin followed with Ichigo trailing behind him, anxiety causing him to bite his semi-long nails. As they reached an office the haughty employee knocked and announced them.

"There are two men here who want to apply for a loan. Are you free?"

"You can let them in."

The employee was about to turn and let them but Gin just brushed past him and smiled bowing slightly.

"Thank ya." he drawled sarcastically and saluted him. Ichigo smiled at that and followed suit looking to the man behind the office desk.

He was pale with long silver hair perfectly straight and smooth, a gentle expression on his face and his hands moving gracefully as he wrote something down before looking up and smiling at them both.

"Good morning Gentlemen my name is Ukitake, how may I help you in acquiring a loan today? Please sit." he said pleasantly, gesturing to the plush seats before the 2 men. Both of them muttered thanks and sat down, Gin coughing politely before speaking.

"I wanna open tha' Moulin Rouge and I needa loan ta fix it up."

"I see. Well it was closed down by the owner and they never said wether or not they were thinking on renting, leasing or selling. I could double check the records and see if they sold it to us."

"That'd be mighty kind of ya."

Ukitake got up going through a filing cabinet, after a few moments he pulled out a file and sat back down looking through it.

"Well you are in luck today gentlemen. It seems that the previous owner sold it back to the bank...very cheaply in fact. Odd...but! That means that its value is very low seeing as how we gave him minimum pay and it is now condemned. I assume you've brought collateral?" he asked expectantly.

Gin nodded and brought out the silk pouch, looking at it with a pained expression, he pushed it towards Ukitake. Ukitake looked at it curiously before taking it and opening it.

"The box and wha's inside it is wha' I'm usin' as collateral."

Ukitake looked at the box in awe and opened the box, the ruby sending a red reflection on the pale mans' face.

"How did you manage to acquire something like this?" He asked quietly, mostly to himself rather than to Gin.

"Will it be enough?" Ichigo asked, leaning forward.

Ukitake managed to tear his eyes away from the box and looked into Ichigos' worried honey brown eyes. "I will bring in a jeweler and see if the gems and gold are real."

The 2 men nodded and Ukitake closed the box and put it back in the pouch before leaving the office and left Gin and Ichigo alone.

"Think it'll be enough Gin?" Ichigo asked quietly.

"Of course. Real rubies, real gold, platinum, and a few scattered diamonds. It's more than enough. It just...how dare they think that I would bring in fake gem stones to ask for a loan. Do they really think we're that stupid? He may have seemed nice but I know that he's looking at us like trash." his voice was cold.

"He was nicer than the man who escorted us here." Ichigo said tentatively, not wanting to piss off Gin any further.

He scoffed and looked off to the side.

"It's his job...we're a 'potential' customer. If he did turn us away he wouldn't have gotten the priceless gems that I just handed him. Therefore making the bank lose money."

Ichigo simply looked at him before looking down at his hands, clenching and unclenching. He wasn't a person who was used to waiting and the anxiety of waiting for Ukitake to return with a decision wasn't helping either.

Finally the door opened with 2 men walking in, one being Ukitake himself and an elderly man.

"This box and gem are authentic and very valuable. I'm pretty sure this will cover the cost of the property and to help fix it to an extent."

Gin sighed in relief and sagged into the chair.

"As long as we can buy the property that's fine, the extra cash will be a relief if anything to help us in fixing it." Ichigo said excitedly.

"Very well, Ukitake will bring out the papers for you to sign and give you the loan. Congratulations gentlemen, nice doing business with you both." the old man said, tipping his cane and walking out.

Gin and Ichigo looked to each other excitedly and looked at a smiling Ukitake. They quickly signed the papers they had to and agreeing to terms and conditions of owning property, Gin nodding and understanding all...he was finally going to have his Moulin Rouge back after all this time. All the nights staying up late worrying about paying for it, all the sleepless nights of yearning for it, of seeing shadowed memories passing through his friends eyes when they thought he wasn't looking. Especially Matsumoto...seeing her looking at old album photos of Halibel and the old newspapers advertising his Moulin Rouge. They would be able to have their old life back and this time it would be better than ever. This time everything would go according to plan. He wasn't going to let anything bad happen again. Not this time.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everybody. So this chapter is mainly a filler and a start up on Grimmjow and Ichigos' rising sexual tension ;3. I know in the anime their 'hatred' *Wink Wink* kinda builds up and up and up before they reach their limits. And well...you know. Hahaha sorry i'm being so vague I just don't want to give anything away! Sorry, sorry. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it I actually had a bit of fun typing it. Sorry it took a bit long, I had a festival this weekend where I was selling my art work. If you'd like to check me out i am on deviant art : UnbalancedArtiste. I am currently taking commissions and wont mind making prints for anyone interested. :) Enough selling out ENJOY

I don't own Bleach or Moulin Rouge.

* * *

Nel, Starkk and Matsumoto could hear thumps coming from the hallway and looked simultaneously to the door.

"I wonder what that is..." Nel asked curiously.

They all jumped, except for Starkk, when Ichigo suddenly came bursting through the door, breathless and flushed from running.

"We got it! We got the loan for the Moulin Rouge!" Ichigo exclaimed.

It took them just a few seconds, a few seconds to many in Ichigos' opinion when Nel and Matsumoto squealed, getting up to hug him. Ichigo nearly suffocated with the 4 pair of breasts shoved into his face preventing him from breathing.

"Gin did it! He really did it!" Nel yelled jumping a bit bringing Ichigo with her as she did so. The 2 women giggled before they realized Ichigo had gone limp in their embrace.

"Eh? Ichigo?" Matsumoto asked confused. The 2 women let go of Ichigo and he fell to his knees going into a huge coughing fit. Worried, Nel knelt next to him frantically patting (more like pounding) his back to help.

"Ichigo! Are you okay?!"

He finally took a deep breath and looked at her with a murderous look in his eyes.

"Are you crazy!? You two nearly suffocated me with your ginormous tits! I coulda died!" Ichigo yelled.

"And you almost made my lungs cave with your freakish strength Nel! How the hell can you be so strong!?"

She blushed a bit and looked away.

"I take a physical defense class...I have to make sure I can protect myself." she said shyly.

Ichigo just looked at her incredulously, throwing his hands in the air he fell onto his back taking deep breaths.

"What kind of place is Gin running..." He muttered covering his eyes with his arm.

"Ahem...a one o' a kind place thank ya very much Ichi."

Ichigo opened an eye before removing his arm and saw Gin bent over, looming over him, eyes closed and a small frown on his face.

"An' try not ta be so loud...it's way ta early fer yellin'"

Ichigo scoffed and got up dusting himself off. As soon as Ichigo stood up Gin slammed his hand onto Ichigos' back making him lurch forward a bit before grabbing him and pulling him close to whisper into his ear.

"An' next time ya yell at ma' girls..." Gin opened his eyes, his voice cold. "You'll have more than just Nel to worry about. Got it?"

Ichigo nodded, a cold, fearful shiver going down his spine, when Gin smiled, closing his eyes. In a split second his voice was suddenly replaced with a pleasant tone and raised his arms.

"Maa, maa! This ain't a time ta be yellin'! It's a time ta celebrate!" A groan could be heard from across the room and they all turned to Starkk.

"You're yelling right now Gin. And it's giving me a headache next to the major hangover I already have." Starkk groaned from his hammock.

"Tha' was just a warm up. We're goin' ta celebrate tha proper way. Oi, Ichigo, go tell Grimm tha news and then we can decide on where ta go fer our celebration dinner."

Ichigo froze at going to go talk to Grimmjow and he looked to Gin.

"Do I gotta? Can't Nel go tell him?"

Gin smirked and shook his finger. "Ah, ah, ah. You came with me to tha bank, it would be better if ya told him yerself. Besides, Nel has taken tha blunt end of his grumpiness fer to long. You go."

Ichigo looked around hoping that someone would step up but they all avoided eye contact with him and Starkk was sleeping.

"Shoo! Go!" Gin said impatiently, moving his hands in a forward motion.

Sighing, he headed towards Grimmjows' room, a tight feeling in his gut. "I don't like this just so you know!" Ichigo called back to the group before he went down the hallway to his impending doom.

Grimmjow was looking at his music sheets when he heard scuffling in the living room and loud voices. Probably the group arguing about something stupid they did last night or Starkk pinching Matsumotos' ass when he was drunk. Either way he didn't care what they did...just that right now he was freaking out. He had, granted it was small but it was there, an urge to write something...something musical. He couldn't get the image of Ichigo out of his head from the other night, the way his body moved, the look of his flushed skin, the sound of his voice...it all was inspiring Grimmjow. And so here he was after ransacking his room for blank music sheets he managed to find a few. A pencil lying innocently next to the few sheets, beckoning him to write something. He could remember the day when Halibel was next to the very chair he now stood in front of, watching him jot down music notes while playing instruments to match the tone.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"Such the serious musician." Halibel mocked, using a deep voice to mimic an old scholar.

Grimmjow couldn't help but smirk and looked at her through his blue bangs, that Halibel had yet to cut for him mind you.

"Says the woman who is just laying in my bed admiring the view." he teased.

Halibel laughed and gave him a 'come hither' look. "And what a view it is..." she said, her voice sensual, a sultry tone to it causing Grimmjows' mind to unwind. Then she looked out the window and exclaimed with an unusual upbeat voice, throwing her hands in the air. "Paris looks absolutely lovely this time of year!"

"Well thanks for the compliment!" Grimmjow growled, obviously butt-hurt but to proud to show it. She sighed and threw her perfectly tanned, long legs over edge of the bed, sitting up gracefully, her eyes shining in determination and a bit of impatience.

"I can't help that I'm bored. All you do is write beautiful songs for Gin while I, the poor unsatisfied Diva, just sits here unable to enjoy any form of entertainment. Just admit it Grimmjow...you're a hermit crab and you'll always be a hermit crab." she said, exasperated an exaggerated flair of debonair, a hand placed delicately on her forehead leaning back a bit.

Grimmjow frowned and threw a crumpled up ball of paper in her direction making her giggle and laugh.

"Who's calling me a hermit crab? You better take that back before I take some form of retribution to defend my name."

"Hermit..." she paused gauging Grimmjows' reaction. When he didn't do anything, except get red in the face, she finished her sentence. "Crab."

"That's it!" He growled and grabbed more crumpled up paper-wads and threw them at her. She laughed and squealed quickly retaliating with the thrown paper. They ended up having a paper ball fight, successfully distracting Grimmjow and providing acceptable entertainment for her.

* * *

Grimmjow couldn't help but smile at the memory and looked at his faded music sheets. A soft knock pulled him out from his thoughts and he looked to the door, surprised.

"Yeah?" he called out gruffly.

"It's Ichigo." came a muffled reply.

Grimmjow froze and took a small step back away from the door, as if that could prevent the situation from happening. He wasn't ready to talk to the orange haired kid, not after what happened last night.

"Go away. I'm busy."

"I have to talk to you." Even though he was one the other side of the door, Grimmjow could hear the discomfort in Ichigos' voice.

"I have nothing to say to you. Now go away." Maybe...if he acted like nothing happened Ichigo could think it was a dream.

"Gin is making me talk to you. If you don't open this door on your own free will I will forcefully bust down this door and drag your blue-haired ass out." He gave a kick to emphasize his statement, the old wooden door cracking at the sudden force.

"OI! Don't break my fuckin' door!" Grimmjow growled. Ichigo kept kicking it, each kick harder than the last. Fed up with it, Grimmjow stormed towards his door and yanked it open only to be kicked by Ichigo right on his shin.

"God dammit!" Grimmjow yelled out, falling backwards. He grabbed his leg where Ichigo had kicked him and gripped it hoping the pain would go away.

"Oh crap! Grimm!" Ichigo fell to his knees to help Grimmjow.

"Why the hell would you kick me! I opened the damned door!"

"I didn't know you were going to open the door so quick! If you hadn't been so stubborn and told me you were going to open it I would have stopped!"

"If you didn't start kicking shit in the first place none of this would have happened!"

"Well if you weren't such an asshole and you had let me talk to you THEN none of this would have happened! Ya jerk!"

Grimmjow was about to argue back but he didn't have anything to go on. Noticing this Ichigo smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Ya still didn't have to kick my door."

"Yeah well I got the door opened so it doesn't really matter anymore."

They stayed silent for a few minutes and Ichigo realized how close he was the broken musician. Grimmjows' eyes were a lot brighter than he thought they were, though they could have been bright because he was in pain. Ichigo didn't want to brag but he had a pretty mean kick, learning to dance and stay on his feet many nights made his legs pretty strong. Then as he kept looking at his eyes he noticed light blue markings around the edges of them. Tattoos.

"Do you have any more?" Ichigo found himself asking.

"What?" Grimmjow asked incredulously, wondering what the kid was talking about.

"Tattoos. Do you have any more besides the ones on your eyes."

Grimmjow was honestly surprised the kid had caught that.

"Uh...yeah. I have one near my hip."

"Can I see it?"

Grimmjow was weary of showing Ichigo his tattoo so he shook his head.

"No. It's personal."

Ichigo noticed the tone of Grimmjows' voice when he told him that he couldn't and didn't press for further details. After a few more uncomfortable moments Grimmjow sat up and wiggled his leg, wincing a bit at the pain.

"Can you stand?" Ichigo asked quietly. Grimmjow nodded and stood up slowly, Ichigo rising with him. Sighing, he ran his hands through his blue hair as he leaned against the door frame looking at Ichigo.

"What do you want? Ya said you had to talk to me about something."

Grimmjow noticed Ichigos' eyes lightening to a honey brown and Ichigo smiled slightly.

"Gin managed to get the loan to rebuild the Moulin Rouge! We went to the bank this morning and with our collateral we managed to get it!"

Grimm scoffed in disbelief, frowning. "Collateral? We had collateral? What did Gin use?"

Ichigo faltered a bit but Grimmjow caught it.

"Uh...Gin had been saving it in case of an emergency so he used it."

Grimmjow looked lost in thought and Ichigo mentally crossed his fingers hoping he wouldn't press for more details. Seeing Grimmjow about to say something he grabbed his arm and pulled him forward hoping to distract him.

"C'mon! We need to decide on a place to celebrate our success!"

"Jeez, Gin finally has money and he wants to buy us dinner?"

Ichigo frowned. "I think it's nice...it seems that it's been so long since any of you have had any hope, especially Gin." Ichigos' expression softened then turned sad. "He lost his Moulin Rouge...it was his home as well as his dreams and he lost it all." Grimmjow couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy knowing that Ichigo was thinking of Gin like that. Yeah Gin lost the Moulin Rouge but Grimm had lost the love of his life. Isn't that something worth being sad about? Grimmjow mentally gasped at his train of thought and shut his eyes. What the hell was he thinking! Why did he care wether the orange haired tart was or wasn't thinking of him? Well he didn't care, he just thought it was unfair. That's right. Unfair.

"Grimm?" a soft voice called, then a warm sensation on his forearm. Grimmjow opened his eyes and saw concerned brown eyes looking to him and Ichigos' hand on him. Frowning Grimmjow shrugged Ichigo off and pushed past him.

"Yeah, just getting a headache from you yappin' so much."

Ichigo couldn't help but flinch at his words and growled running up to him and tackling him.

"You insensitive jerk!" he yelled out. Grimmjow fell forward with Ichigo on his back and rolled over a few times before he was on top, pinning the hot-headed orangette to the floor.

"Calm yer damn tits!"

Ichigo struggled and heard footsteps rushing towards the two.

"Grimmjow what are you doing!?" shrieked a Nel.

"Wha-? I'm not doin' anything except saving my own ass! This kid tackled me from behind!"

"I highly doubt that, Ichigo wouldn't do such." Matusmoto stated.

"Now you on the other hand...you have been known to tackle a few people here and there. This...is probably not your finest moment." Starkk said lazily, yawning.

"I cannot believe this...you're taking his side even though I'm telling the truth!" Grimmjow looked down to a furious Ichigo and shook his wrists.

"C'mon carrot-top. Tell em!"

Ichigo glared and kept his lips pursed.

"Are you serious..."

"Take back what you said then."

"What?!"

"Take. Back. What. You. Said." he enunciated.

Grimmjow growled and looked at him, tightening his grip on his wrists. Ichigo wasn't showing any discomfort so Grimmjow hung his head before whispering so only Ichigo could hear.

"I'm sorry..."

"What was that? Doth my ears deceive me I couldn't quite catch that."

"I'm damned sorry!" he yelled out.

Smirking Ichigo looked up to the group and grinned.

"Yeah, I tackled his ass." he said proudly.

And that was the moment that Grimm swore he was going to get back at the orangette. No one made fun of Grimmjow Jagerjaques. No one. From this day on, he and Ichigo were at war.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again. It was a bit difficult in writing this chapter ( only because i had no idea how i was going to start it )

So in this chapter I decided to add a little bit of a dark setting because seeing as how the characters in Moulin Rouge they had to sell their bodies for money. And i was thinking that, that can't be very easy for people. Especially mentally and emotionally and how that could really mess someone up. So as i have decided to add Nini into this story i just wanted to clarify why he goes a little overboard because I wanted to show, I guess the after-effects, of what could happen when you go through such a drastic stage in a life. I don't think selling yourself, or the decision to, comes easy to anyone and when I watched the movie I always get the feeling that it affected Nini pretty hard. It was pretty subtle because I had to watch the movies quite a few times to see Ninis' character really form for me. And it all clicked on how she acts and reacts. So i decided to go with it because I think it was a crucial part to show because in a way IMO that's what led her to tell the duke. IMO! I could be completely wrong and it could mean an entirely different thing but I'm writing this fan-fiction not Baz Lurman. And i left this chapter short because i intend on making it two parts of a whole. I hope you enjoy it and if it's to confusing to follow please let me know so i can re-write it. I don't want readers confused. :) So review and let me know if you liked it, hated it, or want it to be improved because I kinda do think it needs to be improved. Then again i am my harshest critic.

DISCLAIMER: I DONT OWN BLEACH OR MOULIN ROUGE.

* * *

The whole group was in a flurry of activities to get the Moulin Rouge ready; going to a contractors' office and hiring them to reconstruct the decaying building, hiring back old dancers to come back and dance, fixing up old outfits for the dancers to have something to wear when it opened, even Ichigo willing to teaching some dance classes to those who were a little dusty on their performances.

Gin looked to Starrk and frowned when he saw the sleepy male. Said sleepy male was on the couch, barely keeping his eyes open as he was looking over some paperwork, cups of coffee surrounding the top of the table. Gin sighed and walked over to purposefully hit the top of the narcoleptics head.

"Ah...what was that for?" Starkk complained lazily, rubbing his head, looking up at Gin.

"I need ya ta get someone who used ta work fer me."

"Why me? Why can't you do it?" he yawned tiredly, already settling back onto the couch, looking at Gin with a sleepy expression.

"Because I need ta go with Ichigo ta the tailors. We need ta repair tha old dresses I have and make some new ones fer Ichi." he said listing off the things with his fingers, a thoughtful expression gazing upwards as he thought about it all.

He groaned and laid back on the couch, clutching a pillow. "Well...who do I need to go get?"

Gin smirked and tossed a few papers onto Starkks' stomach.

"Luppi 'Nini' Antenor."

Starkk visibly stiffened and sat up quickly, glaring at Gin.

"Why do we need Luppi to come back? Luppi was the one that ended up telling the Duke what was going on between Grimmjow and 'Bel! Luppi was the one that made everything go to hell when we could have avoided all the drama that happened between the Duke and 'Bel! Or did you forget that?!" Starkk was shouting by the end of his accusation and Gin just regarded him calmly. When he let Starkk finish, he spoke.

"Luppi was what led my Moulin Rouge until Halibel came along, Luppi may have stabbed us in the back but I think it's because Luppi thought I owed him something. However this time it's going to be different. Ichigo is the one that will lead my Moulin Rouge into a new era and I don't plan on replacing him anytime soon or at all. With Luppi I will be extremely firm with him. I wont let him get away with anything like before. His ways will not be tolerated if he doesn't follow my rules." Gin said with a icy tone laced with his words.

Starkk regarded Gin for a few seconds before he took the papers off his lap and exhaled loudly. He looked up at Gin with a hard expression.

"I'll get him but if he refuses to work with us then I wont push it. He says no, I walk out with no regrets."

Gin thought about this and nodded after a few minutes.

"Very well. I saw him working at a 'old world' cafe somewhere near the Pleasure District."

Starkk rolled his eyes and got up shrugging on his jacket.

"Very well...i'll be back with or without him."

Gin smiled and patted Starkk harshly on his back.

"I believe in your powers of persuasion Starkk." and with that he left to meet up with Ichigo. Sighing, Starkk left soon after to seek out Luppi.

When he stepped out of the apartment building, as per usual, the light blinded him for a few seconds before he could focus in on his surroundings. The streets were dirty, the people walking just as if not dirtier than the roads, stores were rundown or closed, and carriages that were worth anything quickly strolling pass to avoid the neighborhood. With that, Starkk walked into the fray that was Paris. As he walked further and further out from where he lived, believe it or not, the place just got worse. The smell of smoke, sewage, cheap sex, and alcohol hung stagnant in the air, the sun and light fog just increasing the effect. Starkk could feel the scent cling to his clothes and leave a layer of grime on his exposed skin. He couldn't think bad for the people who had lived here, he himself had lived a life similar to this neighborhood. He couldn't image the stains he himself had on his soul and wondered if he would ever be able to wash them out. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, when life happens you just have to take it and shape it into a way that will work for you because...how else are going to move on just staying in one place?

As he kept walking his thoughts kept getting more obscure and abstract, thoughts that could have confused the mind of even the most certified of all therapists when he felt a nagging sleeping sensation hit him.

"Oh no..." Starkk slurred, the pull of sleep tugging at his subconscious. This is why he didn't think much, it literally tired him out. He staggered a bit, leaning onto the wall for support and tried to keep his eyes open. It wouldn't be particularly safe if he passed out in this neighborhood much less on the dirtied roads with god knows what. He shook his head and slowly fell against the wall to his knees. No amount of coffee in the world could be strong enough to keep Starkk awake.

"Still suffering from that Narcolepsy are we 'Argentinian'?" replied a high pitched voice that was so confusingly androgynous. Through the haze he was fighting, Starkk managed to make out a slim figure, a hand on its hip which was cocked to side. It approached him slowly, its movements graceful even though it had been such a long time and bent down to be on Starkks level, faded purple eyes full of mischief looking at Starkk.

"You are so stupid." said the voice before Starkk passed out.

* * *

When Starkk woke up he immediately had a sense of warning and shot up from wherever he was laying down. Suddenly his vision swimming as he felt all the blood rush to his head giving him a headache. Groaning Starkk leaned against the wall holding his head.

"You stupid man, walking around when you know you could drop any minute. And I bet you were thinking about something too hard for you small mind to comprehend. Poor Argentinian."

Starkk opened his eyes and saw Luppi sitting on a chair next to his bed, legs crossed, head resting on his hand which was resting on his knees. An annoying faked sad face to mock Starkks situation.

"Shut up Luppi, believe me when I say that I'm here against my will."

Luppi scoffed and tossed his semi-long hair behind him. It had gotten longer and Starkk didn't know if it suited Luppi very well.

"We all know that's bullshit. You came looking for me because you wanted to." Luppi teased waving a hand in the air dismissively.

Starkk could feel his patience slipping and shut his eyes.

"Gin sent me to talk to you, but at this point I'm thinking to just leave and tell him you said no."

Luppi raised an eyebrow and leaned forward.

"Oh? The more you resist the more I want to just 'agree' and piss you off." Sitting back he pouted, running a finger down Starrks' arm to his hand. "What happened between us Starkk? You used to like me so much before." Luppi batted his eyelashes in admiration before Starkk threw a pillow to his face. Shrieking Luppi scooted back, touching his face.

"Hey! I make a living with this face, don't mess it up!" he quickly got up looking at a mirror, fluffing his hair and turning his face to make sure his makeup was intact.

Starkk looked at him boredly. "Luppi...you're face has been messed up the whole time. I mean, you do know that when you were born, the doctor saw your ugly mug and slapped your mother?"

Luppi flushed an angry red and got up thrusting his finger into Starkks chest painfully.

"You are so fucking rude!" he shrieked.

Smirking at his triumph Starkk threw his legs over the bed to stand up.

"Look...I came here for a reason and the faster I can tell you the better."

Luppi turned so as to ignore him, his body visibly shaking in anger.

"Gin is re-opening the Moulin Rouge...and he needs you to help him get the place running again. He's trying to re-hire everyone that used to work for him."

Luppi laughed harshly, he turned his head sharply to face Starkk.

"Everyone except Halibel. Being dead and all can really get in the way of someones job opportunities you know?"

Starkk felt a flare of rage and grabbed Luppi to face him before slapping him hard across the face.

"Dont you dare make fun of Halibel!"

Surprised at his outburst, Luppi could only hold his reddening face.

"You have no right to make fun of the dead, especially someone like Halibel. You could never be the woman she was no matter how hard you try. There was a reason you were replaced and you need to get that in your thick head Luppi. Gin knows you were the one that ratted out Halibel to the Duke and even knowing you were the cause of the Duke doing everything he did, Gin wants you back."

Luppi stared at him and narrowed his eyes, stepping back and scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Is that right? Gin wants me back? Hah! He lost his Halibel and now wants me to take my place before she came along. And what? Have that happen all over again when he finds a new Star?! I was the reason the Moulin Rouge got to where it was!" Luppi shrieked and stepped forward suddenly, his voice low and deadly. The way Luppi was reacting towards Starkk, he remembered that Luppi was known to going insane a few times. There was a time when a customer went too far and Luppi hit him over the head with a champagne bottle. Also when someone wasn't supposed to touch him and Luppi broke his hand. Luppi didn't mind leading people on but would hate it if it actually worked when he didn't plan on it working. Oblivious to his musings, Luppi continued yelling.

"And then when he found his 'little sparrow' he kicked me off and let her take my place. Now just a runner up! Someone to use when his 'sparrow' ran out of steam!" Luppi screamed towards the end.  
"Oh Halibel is going to have a long night, can you take her shift on the floor? Oh Nini, Halibel can't entertain a customer because her foot feels funny for dancing for too long can you take over? Nini do this, Nini do that, Nini fuck him, Nini fuck that! Halibel can't do this so do it for her." Luppi was pacing and Starkk just looked at him calmly, realizing all the anger he had pent up. Then he sharply looked at Starkk and went up to him, jabbing him in the chest with a knife he had somehow found. Starkk scolded himself mentally, usually Starkk could pick up on insignificant things when people thought he wasn't looking.

"And don't you dare fucking pity me! Don't you even think about it!"

Starkk nodded and looked down to the knife. Slowly, Starkk wrapped his hand around Luppis'.

"Just give me the knife before you hurt someone with it." he said slowly, his voice low as if he was talking to a rabid animal. Not a bad comparison, though that would be an insult to all animals that had rabies.

Luppi moved his hand off from Starkks' chest before screaming and raising his hand, aiming for Starkks shoulder. Starkk easily seeing Luppi, blocked with his arm and gripped Luppi by the wrists, using his leg he tripped Luppi pinning him down with his knees on Luppis chest. He squeezed painfully hard and Luppi couldn't help but let go of the knife. Tears were streaming down Luppis' face either with pain or sadness. But he continued with his rant even though he was pinned. A maniac grin on his face, tears spilling out ruining the makeup and making him look...well...insane.

"And when the Duke came in the picture Halibel had it so fucking easy. All she had to do was fuck the duke and fuck the damned song writer at the same to save us. The one thing that didn't have to revolve around her and she fucked it up! So...seeing how she was going to screw us over in the future I sped up the process. I told him and I don't regret it. How could she think she could do whatever she wanted while our lives were hanging in the balance? So fuck her. FUCK HER! Fuck how everyone thought she was perfect, while I was in the background picking up her shit." he spat.

Starkk looked at Luppi and let go standing up.

"That wasn't your decision to make Luppi. You may have thought what you did was right but look at us now? Nel is going out on the streets doing what she knows best, Matsumoto, an older woman, still having to do nights. Me having to go and pick up rich horny women because their husbands are fucking Nel or Matusmoto. Gin..." He paused and took a deep breathing. "Gin has to look at people he cares about doing this because of what you had caused. Grimmjow..." Starkk looked off to the side and shrugged. "Well he's a whole other story but you ratting him and Halibel out doesn't exclude to what you've done to add to the rut he's in. A lot of people had to do something they dreaded doing, and when they were working for Gin they didn't have to. So you can get mad at Halibel being 'selfish' but you're just as bad. Doing something so unforgivable and thinking the rules don't apply to you. You did it for revenge. Plain and simple."  
Luppi looked away and crossed his arms.

"But you won't be given that same position. Gin found Ichigo to take Halibels spot as a Star. Ichigo is even willing to teach some classes on how to dance to brush up. He's contributing and helping in whatever way he can to get the Moulin Rouge up. Gin wants you back because he knows what you did for him, how you helped get in customers and notice and I think that's the only reason he's willing to look past all the shit you did and fucked him over. But don't think for a moment he wont be on your ass and watching your every moment. If you say yes to his offer know the position you are in, but if you refuse don't think Gins' going to cry over your rejection. We've been suffering long enough and looking back into the past enough times. So it really is only a offer that would benefit you. And you'd be stupid to not take it. But then again it wouldn't be the first stupid thing you've ever done."

Luppi stayed silent and pointed to the door.

"Get the fuck out and don't look for me anymore."

"So I'm taking that as a no."

"GET. THE. FUCK. OUT!" Luppi shrieked.

Starkk looked down at Luppi a few moments more before he went to the door and left, the door slamming behind him.

Sighing, Starkk ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the door. Man...he needed a looong nap.

* * *

Starkk arrived home and saw that Gin and Ichigo were looking over a fabric patterned book deciding which was prettier or a better quality. When Gin heard Starkk walk in he stood up walking over to him.

"So...how did it go?"

Starkk shook his head and pushed past Gin.

"Even if he had said yes...I would disagree. He's batshit crazy, mentally unstable, emotionally wrecked, and full of hate."

"So...he said no?"

"He told me to get the fuck out after he had screamed at me how you wronged him, how Halibel got it easy and how he wasn't going to endure it for a second time."

"But...he didn't outright say no."

Starkk shrugged. "I didn't hear him say no. Just that he kicked me out."

"If I know Luppi...he's still thinking about my offer."

"You're still going to let him come back after what I just told you?" Starkk asked incredulously.

"Ya said if he said no ya wouldn't pursue him. He didn't say no yet."

Groaning Starkk flopped onto his hammock.

"I can't handle any more Luppi. He snapped on me and went crazy insane. I think he needs to be admitted."

Gin looked at him seriously. "Be careful with what you say. Now-a-days any proclamation of someone being crazy they can be locked up."

"In Luppis case, I think it would be the safest thing for society."

Ichigo watched the conversation with curiosity but couldn't help but get rid of the nagging feeling that Luppi would indeed be bad news.

* * *

**A FEW HOURS AFTER STARKK LEFT**

"Hello?"

"It's Luppi."

The voice lost all interest when they replied.

"Oh...what do you want?"

Hesitating to tell him Luppi took a breath, he noticed he was shaking, he was sweating and gripping the phone receiver so tightly the plastic was creaking with pressure. The voice interrupted him from his personal observation.

"I don't have all day Luppi. If you have something to say, say it."

"Gin is opening the Moulin Rouge." he said so quickly he didn't know if the other person would have understanded him.

Silence and then a click. Looking at the phone panic started to set it

"Hello? Hello!?"

"Calm down Luppi." replied a cool voice. The Duke. Luppi had called the duke.

_**Like i said please review on how you thought about this chapter. I am not asking reviews to make this story look better, but as constructive criticism on what I should do with the story. I hoped you liked it, mistakes and all.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello my lovelies...im sorry it has taken me so long to add anything new. I myself get upset with a writer doesn't upload continuously. Sorry sorry! : i had this chapter saved in my documents and was going to upload but I just...idk what happened I just couldn't get back to it. Weird I know. Anyways...its here! :/ Hope you enjoy! And that everyones life has been well while I've been away. Loves!_

_333333_

Gin wrapped his arms around Ichigos' waist and smirked, brushing his lips against the back of his neck.

"This is as comfortable as yer gunna get Ichi..." he whispered.

He could feel Ichigo trembling beneath his hands and could hear him let out quick soft breaths. The younger man looked back at Gin and shook his head.

"There...has to be a better way." he whimpered.

"Mm...I wish there was. But don't ya think it's better this way?"

Again Ichigo shook his head and groaned, tossing his head back panting heavily.

"It's not like it's tha first time Ichi...ya have done this before. Sure it's a tight fit but...ya can handle it."

"It...feels tighter than before Gin." he whined.

Gin stepped back and looked at the corset he just helped Ichigo get into and examined the shape of Ichigos' waist.

"This is as loose as it can go ta show off womanly curves. If I go any looser...it wouldn't work with the dresses we bought."

Ichigo had his hands on his stomach and took a deep breath. Well...as deep as he could.

"Gin...I literally can't fit into this corset. I can barely breathe!"

Sighing, Gin walked around Ichigo again and threw up his hands.

"Fine! Maybe jus' a little looser but we'll just have ta add more layers. Then...maybe a few sashes, at least long enough for ya ta get used ta yer corset."

Ichigos' hands quickly went to untying the corset and breathed a sigh of relief when he got it off. He tossed the corset onto the couch and flopped himself right next to it, his hands scratching his stomach.

"Back at the clubs the corsets were loose because the looser it was the more skin we could show." he frowned at the memory. "I'll wear the corset tighter as the weeks go by until I can stand it being as tight as it needs to be. I promise." he blew a kiss to Gin and winked.

Gin stared at Ichigo before he sighed and went over to ruffle his hair.

"Fine...but yer gunna fit inta those dresses, wether you can breathe or not. Unless I putcha onna diet."

Ichigo blanched at the word and shook his head.

"No, no, no, no, NO. No diet. I just need to get used to the corset being tight. I swear."

"We'll see." Gin kissed his cheek and started folding the dresses back into the boxes. Ichigo got up and put his silk robe on, the silk easily sliding across his skin and settling onto the shape of his slender frame. Gin turned to look at Ichigo and admired what he wore.

"Or...maybe jus' toss you out lookin' like that. A damn sin for ya to look good like tha."

Ichigo blushed a bit and turned his back onto Gin, pouring himself some brandy into a cup. Quickly downing the liquid he enjoyed the burn in his throat and relaxed his shoulders.

"Gin...do you think this really will work? Me being able to lead the show? A star?"

Gin walked over to Ichigo and wrapped his arms around his waist, gently swaying from side to side, nuzzling his face into Ichigos' bright hair.

"Yer amazin' Ichi. Ya captivate anyones attention when ya walk inta a room, ya capture their attention when yer talking, hell even when yer jus' breathin'. Yer damn irresistible."

Ichigo closed his eyes and laid his hands over Gins.

"I hope so...I really do."

* * *

"Now...take a deep breath and tell me the reason why you called me." replied the cool, calm voice.

Luppi took said deep breath, the words acting like a cool cloth on a scorching fever.

"Gin...he has re-opened the Moulin Rouge. He...somehow managed to get enough money to re-open it again."

There was a quick silence.

"How do you know this?"

"Gin sent Starkk to offer me my previous position."

"So you wont be the star. He found a replacement for Halibel..." he scoffed. "As if anyone could replace her. Not even you Luppi."

Luppi flinched but gripped the phone tighter.

"Obviously you want something from me by giving me this information. Isn't that right?" Aizen purred.

Luppi nodded before he realized how stupid it was nodding over the phone. "Y-yes."

"Well I wouldn't be lying if I found this information quite useful. It would be quite the feat to be able to bring Gin down again by dismantling this current circus act. Did you accept Gins' offer to become a can-can dancer?"

"No...I didn't agree but I didn't decline either. Knowing Gin, he's waiting for a straight answer."

"Call him back as soon as we end this conversation. Say you want in."

"But-!"

"No buts Luppi." cut Aizens voice harshly, Luppi immediately sat still as if he himself had been struck.

"You will work for Gin because you are going to go undercover for me. You are going to find out everything you can about this new star, her weakness, her strength, everything. Everything that will be useful for me to bring down and break."

"The new star apparently is a man Aizen. Ichigo if I remember correctly."

There was a prolonged silence.

"...a man? A man is going to be the centerpiece of his show?"

"Well...I think if Gins' taking the chance to have a man, he's a very androgynous man. Someone who can look female as well as male."

"I see...well, like I said before; as soon as this conversation is over you call Gin right away and accept his job offer. You will call me every week on Friday to let me know what you've found out about this Ichigo and the progressive situation with the Moulin Rouge."

"Of course...but...what do I get in return?" Luppi asked timidly. This time there was a very long silence, and Luppi could feel his heart sinking to the soles of his feet.

"If you help me bring down Gin a second time...I'll bring you back with me to London."

Luppis' eyes brightened up and he looked at the phone, he feared he was dreaming.

"Really!? You'd take me with you!?"

"Yes. You'll live in a spare condo I have."

"Oh thank you Aizen! I won't let you down, I swear!"

"I'd best hope not..." he replied coldly, and with that he hung up. Luppi tossed the phone haphazardly onto its' nook and slipped on his coat to go meet with Gin. He wouldn't let Aizen down, this time he'd win. He'd get the Dukes' attention.

* * *

Grimmjow was looking at his desk and ran his fingers across the smooth sheet of the paper. Its' slight roughness on the surface, the coolness, the emptiness just begging to be filled. Closing his eyes, he grabbed the pen and quickly scrawled a few words onto the paper before throwing the pen across the room and storming out. There! He wrote something, but wether he was ready to face whatever he wrote was a completely different matter. As he stormed down the hallway and entered the living room, he saw Ichigo in the kitchen walking around in...in a silk robe. Now, he's seen silk robes much more elegant than the one the orange haired man was wearing but the WAY he was wearing it... It framed his body perfectly, flowing around his knees like clouds, and the graceful movement from side to side made it look like water wavering in a bowl. The robe was partly open on the side and Grimmjow could see further into it, exposing a lightly tanned, slim leg. After gaping openly at Ichigo, the orange haired man turned around and jumped at Grimmjows' presence.

"Crap! You scared the hell out of me!"

Internally shaking his head, Grimmjow brushed past the kitchen going to the front door.

"Not my fault you're so damn jumpy."

Frowning Ichigo crossed his arms.

"You really have a huge stick up your ass don't you? What happened between us in the hallway is really getting to you personally isn't it?"

Grimmjow gave a sharp look to Ichigo before opening the door and was about to storm out when he bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're going you twit!" yelled a high pitched voice.

A sense of anger and dread hit Grimmjow like a train and he looked down.

"Luppi..." he breathed.

"This coat costs more than you know you idi- oh hello Grimmjow!" he smiled sweetly and even waved a bit. Grimmjow forcefully grabbed the collar of his coat and slammed the smaller man into the nearest wall.

"What the FUCK are you doing here!? If there is any reason at all it better be an apology and even if it was I don't EVER want to see your face while I still breathe."

Luppi scrambled to push Grimmjow off and looked wildly at him, shrieking.

"Get off me! You're ruining my coat and you're scaring me!"

Snarling, Grimmjow shook him and yelled out.

"YOU WERE THE ONE THAT RUINED US!"

Luppi stopped moving and stayed silent, shocked and scared of his outburst. Ichigo ran over and pulled at Grimmjows' coat sleeve.

"Grimm...come on. Let's go back to your room." Ichigo said softly.

He snarled louder and shook Luppi, making him hit his head against the brick wall.

"Don't you get it!? You ruined us all! You fuckin' greedy, slimy bitch!"

"Grimm stop, you'll kill him!" Ichigo said more forcefully.

People were now peeking out from their apartments looking at them. Ichigo pulled harder and clung to his arm.

"Grimm stop it!" he cried, actually afraid of what Grimmjow would do.

Grimmjow looked down to the orange haired man and stopped shaking Luppi. Slowly he released his hold on him and took a step back sagging against the wall, fresh tears falling down his face.

"How...could you Luppi. You...jealous cunt. She didn't deserve what she went through...none of us did."

Luppi was about to retort when Ichigo put his hand up and glared at Luppi before going to Grimmjow.

"Grimm...come on, let's go back inside to your room."

He looked down into those warm honey brown eyes and nodded, looking away.

"Yeah..." was all he could say and let Ichigo lead him back to his room.

Luppi could feel his heart racing and felt the sweat dripping off his face. He didn't expect to run into Grimmjow, it was one of the people he hoped he wouldn't see right away.

"Maybe I should have called..." he muttered. Smoothing the wrinkles off from his coat, Luppi walked into the apartment and shut the door behind him. Looking around he saw that no one was home except for Grimmjow and the orange haired man. Was that Ichigo? He walked around the apartment and saw that despite Gins' financial situation, he was doing a lot better than Luppi imagined. Certainly a lot better than he was.

Ichigo led Grimmjow to his desk and sat him down, kneeling next to him. Grimmjow still had tears falling down his cheeks and was furiously wiping them away. Gently, Ichigo took Grimms' large hands in his and looked at him.

"If you keep rubbing them you'll irritate yourself." he said softly. "You shouldn't be afraid to cry..."

Grimmjow couldn't help but notice how soft and warm Ichigos' hands were and gently squeezed them.

"I'll get you some tissue." he said, then stood up. As he stood up he noticed the single piece of paper with words scrawled onto it quite haphazardly. He craned his neck to read the words properly:

Every night I burn

Every night I call your name

Every night I burn

Every night I fall again

Ichigo looked to Grimm and picked up the paper.

"Grimmjow...did you write this? Are...are these lyrics to a song?"

He looked at the paper and quickly snatched it from the orange-haired mans hands.

"Yeah...they weren't supposed to be read by anyone. Even I haven't read them..."

Instead of being offended, Ichigo was blown away by the simple lyrics to even be angry.

"I really like them...you can tell that the writer was going through something. I'd love to hear it when it's finished."

Surprised, Grimmjow looked to him and could see nothing but sincere honesty in his expression.

"Really? But...it's not even finished. I don't even know how to finish it."

Ichigo sat across from him, feeling a bit happy that the conversation was going smoothly rather than someone throwing a punch or a kick.

"Creating something...anything is a process Grimm. You're just starting, of course you don't know where it's going but you'll get there."

Grimmjow looked down at the messy words and could feel his hands itching to finish it. This time he really wanted to write.

"Is...it about Halibel?" Ichigo asked hesistantly.

Sharply Grimmjow looked to Ichigo and frowned.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well...after what just happened in the hallway...I hope that wont take you away from your writing."

Grimmjow snarled and got up, the chair falling behind him when he got up. Ichigo backed up a bit, sitting a little straighter. It was like he was dealing with a large, feral animal. Anything that ruffled his fur the wrong way it would get irritated and you wouldn't know if it would attack or merely pace around. Grimmjow was like a feral animal...a wild panther.

"...a panther." Ichigo whispered, mimicking his thoughts out loud. Grimmjow heard what he whispered and looked to him.

"What? What did you say?"

Holding his hands up in a defensive posture Ichigo looked to him. "All I said...was that you reminded me of a large wild animal...a panther."

That stopped Grimmjow in his tracks. A panther...

"What did you just say?"

"I didn't mean to offend you! I'm just saying...that's what you remind me of sometimes."

Glaring he stormed over the orange-haired man and pulled him up staring right at him.

"Oi! Don't just grab me!"

"Did you look!?" he growled.

"Look? Look at what!? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"My tattoo! Did you fuckin' look!?"

Looking at him incredulously he scoffed.

"Yeah I mean they are on your eyes, stupid place to put a tattoo if you don't want anyone looking!"

"Not my eyes, idiot! The tattoo on my hip! The one I didn't want to show you."

"How the hell could I have seen the tattoo on your hip? I've been with Gin pretty much all day and you've been in your room the whole time!"

Looking into the younger mans eyes he saw that he was really telling the truth.

"...why? Is it a panther?" Ichigo asked softly.

Grimmjow let him go and walked towards the window, looking out onto the filthy streets below.

"Pantera...my tattoo says Pantera and below that the word Sexta." his voice was void of emotion.

Ichigo looked to Grimmjows' covered hip and then back to him.

"What do they mean?"

"Well Pantera mean-"

"No, no I know they mean panther and the letter six but...why did you get them?"

Grimmjow looked to him, his eyes seeming somewhere else, even his posture looked different. Like he was a whole different person.

"That's a story I definitely don't want to get into."

Ichigo nodded and stood up going to Grimmjow, standing in front of him.

"Why did you blame Luppi for so many things? What did he do?"

Grimmjows' eyes suddenly refocused and he pushed past Ichigo, going to the door.

"I need some air..." he murmured before opening the door and slamming it shut, leaving Ichigo confused and alone.

Gin walked out from his room and heard that Grimmjows' door just shut. Then he heard the front door closing and immediately went on edge. Pulling out a knife from his sleeves he carefully walked into the living room. No one was there. Looking around, opening his eyes fully he saw that someone had just sat on the couch. Sliding his feet across the wooden floor he quickly made his way to the couch and pressed the knife against the other persons' throat. A small yelp came from the smaller form when Gin spoke.

"Who are you...why are you here?"

"I'm...I'm Luppi!" he squeaked.

Surprised, Gin rolled his eyes and let go of the smaller man, sighing.

"Of all tha stupid...Luppi! Couldn't ya 'ave called me before makin' yer way ta my place? I thought ya were a burglar or somethin'."

Luppi stood up rubbing his neck, tears falling down his cheeks.

"You scared me Gin! I thought you were Grimmjow about to kill me!" he wailed, rather pathetically and desperately.

Rolling his eyes Gin put his knife away and cocked his hip to the side, arms crossed over his chest.

"Why are ya here...?"

Luppi swallowed audibly and drummed his fingers together.

"I accept your invitation to be part of your Moulin Rouge..." he said timidly, smiling innocently.


End file.
